Stoge Poges school campaigners stage silent protest

CAMPAIGNERS against a new secondary academy in Stoke Poges staged a silent protest during an open evening for prospective pupils and parents last week.

Villagers placed t-shirts and banners along the route to the controversial school site to show their opposition to the Khalsa Secondary Academy.

The Slough Sikh Education Trust currently have a planning application for the Free School at the Pioneer UK Site on Hollybush Hill and held an event last Thursday for interested parents and students.

But Stoke Poges residents, who are united against the plans, decided to demonstrate their feelings in this remote way rather than disrupt proceedings.

Saera Carter, vice chairman of Stoke Poges Parish Council said: "In the light of KSA holding a private open evening, the Community of Stoke Poges has organised a "silent protest" with many hundreds of residents deciding to stay away.

"The Community decided against appearing en mass to protest out of respect for those innocent parents and prospective students who clearly had no part but werere potentially victims as well."

Campaigners argue there is no demonstrable need for a school in the area, and that Green Belt development should be avoided at all costs.

There are also fears over the influx of traffic as a result of the school run, which would begin as soon as September.

The planning application for the site is scheduled to be heard by South Bucks Dictrict Council planning committee on May 22.

Comments

Free schools are a central plank of Conservative education policy supported 100% by Bucks CC and its councillors. You get what you vote for.

Free schools are a central plank of Conservative education policy supported 100% by Bucks CC and its councillors. You get what you vote for.Welwyn Dowd

Free schools are a central plank of Conservative education policy supported 100% by Bucks CC and its councillors. You get what you vote for.

Score: -3

graham64
8:45pm Fri 10 May 13

Welwyn D,
I suggest you familiarise yourself further with both the Free Schools Process and the local situation in Stoke Poges more fully. I think that you will find that the "Free Schools" policy is in fact NOT well supported by Bucks CC and for some very good reasons.
Not least that Bucks CC also have a very robust framework and policies on protection of the green belt, one of which is specifically to prevent creeping urbanisation of rural areas, and the Khalsa Secondary Academy clearly falls into that category.
The issue here is as much local democracy as anything else. Stoke Poges is a semi-rural Village of just under 5000 people. There is virtually nil local demand for this School - proven by the fact that SSET have found it necessary to try to recruit prospective pupils from Slough and numerous West London urban areas including Hayes, Southall, Heston and Hounslow.
Are you really surprised that the village is absolutely united to fight this proposal with all and every means at our disposal? The consequences for ALL of South Buckinghamshire's green belt would be very serious if this flawed idea resulted in ANY secondary school being sited at the Pioneer House location.

Welwyn D,
I suggest you familiarise yourself further with both the Free Schools Process and the local situation in Stoke Poges more fully. I think that you will find that the "Free Schools" policy is in fact NOT well supported by Bucks CC and for some very good reasons.
Not least that Bucks CC also have a very robust framework and policies on protection of the green belt, one of which is specifically to prevent creeping urbanisation of rural areas, and the Khalsa Secondary Academy clearly falls into that category.
The issue here is as much local democracy as anything else. Stoke Poges is a semi-rural Village of just under 5000 people. There is virtually nil local demand for this School - proven by the fact that SSET have found it necessary to try to recruit prospective pupils from Slough and numerous West London urban areas including Hayes, Southall, Heston and Hounslow.
Are you really surprised that the village is absolutely united to fight this proposal with all and every means at our disposal? The consequences for ALL of South Buckinghamshire's green belt would be very serious if this flawed idea resulted in ANY secondary school being sited at the Pioneer House location.graham64

Welwyn D,
I suggest you familiarise yourself further with both the Free Schools Process and the local situation in Stoke Poges more fully. I think that you will find that the "Free Schools" policy is in fact NOT well supported by Bucks CC and for some very good reasons.
Not least that Bucks CC also have a very robust framework and policies on protection of the green belt, one of which is specifically to prevent creeping urbanisation of rural areas, and the Khalsa Secondary Academy clearly falls into that category.
The issue here is as much local democracy as anything else. Stoke Poges is a semi-rural Village of just under 5000 people. There is virtually nil local demand for this School - proven by the fact that SSET have found it necessary to try to recruit prospective pupils from Slough and numerous West London urban areas including Hayes, Southall, Heston and Hounslow.
Are you really surprised that the village is absolutely united to fight this proposal with all and every means at our disposal? The consequences for ALL of South Buckinghamshire's green belt would be very serious if this flawed idea resulted in ANY secondary school being sited at the Pioneer House location.

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